Pipe attachments to provide a temporary fix to a leak in a pipe are well known. However, the known pipe attachments are typically based upon a frame which is sized to fit around a specific diameter pipe, where the frame carries a sealing element on its inwardly facing surface. In use the sealing element is pressed against the outer surface of the pipe by the frame and the frame is then locked in position.
Examples of such known pipe attachments are disclosed in the following documents:
GB2464489
GB2416013
GB210647
WO2011/045608
CN201787268
DE571345
However, this type of pipe attachment tends to suffer from two problems. Firstly, the attachment is designed to work on pipes which have a pristine outer surface, with no imperfections to interfere with the seal provided by the sealing element. However, in practice, pipes often have drips of solder or paint on their outer surface or otherwise have a less than perfect outer surface. As a result of this, the sealing element is often unable to provide a good seal and the pipe attachment does not completely stop the leak.
Secondly, the known attachments tend to be specific to pipes have a certain diameter, e.g. half inch pipes, and they cannot be used with pipes of different diameters.